I Art Thou
by RobertHawkinz
Summary: A complete retelling of Persona 4 Golden. Everyone interprets the same story different. This is merely one retelling that wishes only to live up to the original story of Persona 4 Golden, while adding new plotlines and characterization to help recreate the world the author interpreted.
1. April 10th, 2011

_**A Persona 4 Experience**_

_**April 10th, 2012**_

_Packing up is always the worst. No matter how many times I am subjected to it, it's always the most annoying task about moving. Except for two things. My parents. Oh, god, I hate them, so much. Constantly being forced to move, never having friends, always forced to doing my own packing. They don't even pretend like we're not going to move again. The house is only filled with my items, most of which I don't bother to unpack. My name is Robert Hawke, and I'm not stupid._

_They blame me for insisting to live where my ancestors did. Japan is a beautiful place, but they have no respect for that. Changing their names, becoming Americans, all of it is just so selfish of them. I know my grandfather wasn't a good man, but to shun your entire homeland because of it? And trying to force your child to, as well? Screw that._

_After several years of pleading and arguing, they let me come to Japan for schooling. Naturally, I was behind. Even more so, everyone had drawn up expectations of this Western-raised boy. Instead, they got a socially awkward and quiet individual who spends all of his time reading manga, studying diligently, and who isolated himself due to his lack of social skills. But whatever. _

_The rebellion against my parents began just three years ago. My silver hair, my awkward haircut, and my constant shaming of Western culture. Every time they visited, I'm sure they could understand my resentment towards them. I have no friends, no social skills, no family, and no one to care for. My grandfather died not long ago, and he left all of his money with me, urging me in his will to break out from my scumbag parents. For the normal kid, they would take offense to this. I, personally, was delighted to hear it. At this turning point, my parents may have had a change of heart. Maybe they finally got it. They said I could attend a small school outside of Kyoto, and they would live with me for once. For my first year in high school, we had finally been reunited as a family. I finally had hope that I would be their son. They were truly impressed by my academics, and they ensured that I could finally make a few decent friends. Naturally, I wasn't popular, but many people saw me as the level-headed negotiator. I was a member of the student council, and that year we made record improvements in test scores, attendance, and conflict resolution. My parents finally came to understand the culture I valued so much, and for once, we were together._

_That all changed when the capitalist nation called. Of course, their jobs were always very commanding. Even they were caught unaware by the transfer. After a whole year of stable work, they get dragged off, all the way to some office in Virginia. They asked if I wanted to attend school there, and they weren't surprised when I refused. So tomorrow, I ride a train into Yasoinaba station. Inaba City, where I will stay for my entire Junior Year. City is a little kind, however. The location is relatively unexciting and isolated. Nevertheless, I get to live with my uncle, Dojima. I have no idea how fond he is of his sister, my mother, but I suppose well enough that I'm moving in with him. I have heard he has a daughter, and his wife died not too many years ago. Hopefully, we'll be able to act like family to each other. I don't expect them to warm up to me. _

I threw the last of my manga into a cardboard box that I'd used so many times before. _Do I sound bitter?_ _Probably. I tend to when I talk to myself._ As I close the cardboard box, I walk down the unlit corridor to my bedroom. As I reach the mirror, I turn on the light. My hair, silver as it was when my parents moved in with me. _My grandfather always watched over me here, and he thought it looked sporting. Gradually, he got older and sicker, and I got sadder and more independent. After he died, my parents came to live with me, and I had high hopes. Alas, they were dashed once more. _My blue gray eyes looked dull, and it was clear to me I needed sleep. I was about six feet, and very slim. Not to say I was nonathletic. I had been on the basketball team at my last school, and though I wasn't the best player, I had practiced religiously. I turn off the light as I enter my room and silently close the door behind me. As I turned on my bedroom light, I noticed the locket on my wardrobe.

On the back, the name "Narukami" shined. My grandfather said it was a family heirloom, and the first thing my father had forsaken when he moved from Japan. Dad said it was too much a mouthful. Changed his last name to Hawke, and better yet, misspelled it. My mother never said why she disliked our home country so much, but I never bothered to ask._ Maybe Ryotaro, my uncle, knew. Should I really ask him, though? Maybe not. _

I grazed the locket with my open hand before setting it back down. I looked down at my plain gray shirt and white pajama pants. I shrugged and move my covers before lying down on my bed. Last night for a bed. Dojima only had a futon for me. Not that I mean to complain, but it would certainly be different than what I was accustomed to.

As I fell asleep, I thought about what my new school would be like, and if I could make any friends. Better yet, could I be able to stay in contact with them?

The weirdest thing I've ever heard in my sleep before was someone yelling Penis. Now, it was the sound of a car starting up in the middle of nowhere. Rather, the noise came from around me, as if I was inside it. The jerking was what woke me up. As I opened my eyes and sat up, I notice that I'm sitting on a velvet seat, like in the back of a limousine. Not that I'd ever seen one before. It wasn't for another moment that I noticed other people in the limousine with me. The entire interior was blue, and even the clothes of one of my fellow occupants wore only blue, velvet clothes. The other occupant horrified me as I looked upon him. He had an abnormally long nose, and he wore a fancy tuxedo. He had weird and oddly shaped eyebrows, and his head rested on his right hand, his left hand supporting his right. He was staring at the table in front of him, a small blue table that was circular except for cloth that came over in my direction, and upon further inspection, I realized the cloth hung over four sides of the table.

I turned to study the woman in blue more closely. She wore blue high heels which seemed very uncomfortable to walk in. Then again, I'm a dude, so what would I know, right? Her blue velvet coat covered her until her knees, and I couldn't determine if she was wearing leggings or stockings or if it was part of her outfit by some other manner. She held a large, black book in her lap, with both of her hands clasping it tightly. Her coat had three rings with gold fabric lining the inside, and her eyes were also as gold as the fabric, shocking me. I opened my mouth to say something, but the quiet man with the long nose beat me to the punch.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room," The man said in a calm voice. As he opened his eyes, I was startled. His eyes had one small, black pupil, and the veins near the edges of his eyes bulged red, causing me to feel a little sick to my stomach.

"The Velvet Room? How can this be a room? Aren't we in a car!?" I exclaimed, confused.

"Ah... It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny..." The man followed this with a chuckle, ignoring my statement entirely, "My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

I look around nervously before responding, "Hi, Igor. Glad you introduced yourself. Now, would you kindly explain where I am?"

Igor obliged, in his own way, "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those bound by a contract may enter... It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future," As he said this, I felt a massive chill run down my spine, "Now then... Why don't you introduce yourself...?"

He motioned for me to speak, so I did, "Hawke. Robert Hawke. My parents didn't name me nor have me in Japan. It was I who requested to return."

Igor nodded in understanding, "Hm... I see. Now, let's take a look at your future, shall we?"

"How can you do that? Are you some kind of prophet?" Igor chuckled at my question before he waved his hand above the table in front of him. A stack of mysterious looking cards appeared on the table.

"Do you believe in fortunetelling?" Igor asked, expectantly. Before I could answer, he waved his hand and the cards separated themselves onto the table. _How in the hell!? _He chuckled, probably noticing my reaction, "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different," He chuckled once more, "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"

The cards themselves were blue, like the room, with a mysterious face on the back. Igor motioned for the card on the far right, and it flipped over. On the front looked like some kind of Tower, getting hit by lightning.

"Hm... The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent," Igor said matter-of-factually, worrying me further, "The card indicating the future beyond that is..." With the same motion, the second card, the one on the far left flipped over, revealing a crescent moon. I noticed the woman in blue, sitting quietly, not surprised at all by Igor's abilities.

"The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents hesitation and mystery... Very interesting, indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which, you will return here. The coming year is a turning point of your destiny... If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost." As he spoke those cryptic words, the back of my brain started screaming for me to get the hell away from him, from this room. The problem thus became how to exit.

"My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that doers not happen," Igor continued, referring to me as a guest. He waved his hand and all the cards faded into nothingness, "Ah! I have yet to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."

She acknowledged me for once, "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey."

Igor spoke once more, "We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell..."

The room faded out, and the dream ended, with me just as confused as it had started.


	2. April 11th, 2011

_**April 11th, 2011**_

The first thing I remember was falling out of bed and landing on my face. Disgruntled and tired, I got dressed, and gathered my things. As I exited the empty house, I thought of the past year and sighed to myself.

Nothing interesting happened as I made my way to the local train station. The house was about twelve blocks away, and the noise used to keep me up at night. Couple that with insomnia, and by morning I was a cranky S.O.B. Nevertheless, it didn't stop me from having a good time.

I arrived to the station, bought my ticket, and boarded with relative ease. I was to transfer to another line before I could get on the train that went to Yasoinaba Station. The first train ride went by quick, and soon I noticed it was almost noon and I was standing near the edge of the tracks, surrounded by loud and noisy people all awaiting the same train. The Yasoinaba train was running late, and naturally, I was bored out of my mind. _Wish I had my Vita unpacked right now. _The only thing keeping me from complete despair over boredom was the large screen television in the station.

Eventually, an announcer said words that were music to my ears, "Yasoinaba is arriving at the station. Those inbound to Inaba and Okina, please board the next train."

I looked up and noticed someone I had seen before. Not at the station, but on television. Risette. Wearing some new line of bikini, she was in a commercial for some dieting drink called Quelorie Magik or something like that. Why bother paying attention to the drink when you had an idol in a bikini? Risette was talented and good-looking, but she always seemed so pepped up. _Wonder if she's actually like that or if they just sell her as such? Eh, does it matter? I won't have the courtesy of meeting her._

Around me, people were talking about some scandal with a political man named Taro Namatame. Apparently cheated on his wife, that weird Enka singer, Misuzu Hiiragi. Mayumi Yamano, some announcer for a local station, won his heart or some crap like that. _Why must the media invade people's personal lives such as this? Don't people have anything better to do than gossip? Sometimes Japan feels like America._

As the train arrived, I quickly got on board and found a lonesome seat. I set my bag down in the seat next to mine so I could remain alone. The train ride was uneventful, and as the ride came closer and closer to my stop, I noticed that it was further out into the country than I thought. This didn't worry me initially, until I worried about what the student body might be like. _Would the school reach my standards? Could I even fit in? Oh, crap...  
_

Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through my forehead, and as I knelt over in my seat to grasp my throbbing head, visions of a woman that was somehow familiar to me in some kind of altercation flashed through my mind. Obviously, I shook it off, but for a second time, pain gripped all of my senses. The woman was trying to push someone away, and she was falling back. Just as I felt I could guess who she was, the pain abruptly stopped, and I sat, dazed and confused.

"Thou art I?" I spoke, not even realizing what I said, "Thou art shit! What was that!?"

Maybe I had developed a temporary case of schizophrenia. Maybe the stress was making me insane, or I was already insane to begin with. In the end, I decided it must be Igor's fault and left it at that. _Was Igor even real? That was a dream, right?_ That's what I told myself, at least. I looked down at my bag and shrugged the visions off. _What would a normal kid do? _I slid open the zipper on my bag and pulled out the original Hellsing manga. _Back to more important matters... _As I read, I thought about when my teacher announced that I was leaving at the end of March for the year. A few people sounded disappointed, and a few more were outright shocked and saddened. Hopefully, I'd see them again. Worrying now wouldn't help anything, though. I checked my back pocket for the paper I had written Uncle Dojima's address on, and I got back to my reading.

Eventually, the train pulled up at the station. My watch said 4:30. It had been late half an hour. Luckily, I hadn't inconvenienced my uncle Dojima too much. I quickly gathered my things and walked outside at a quick pace, hoping to see Dojima was still waiting for me. As I looked around on the front step, I didn't initially see him, but then I heard a voice.

"Hey! Over here!" A grown man with a somewhat gruff voice spoke, and I looked over to two people standing next to the end of the steps. I face palmed in my own mind at my own stupidity for not instantly seeing them. Then I remembered I hadn't seen Ryotaro since I was three, and I had never met Nanako.

Ah, Ryotaro Dojima. He had short, black hair like my dad sported, and beard fuzz all across his chin. He had lines under his eyes, and it clearly seemed he had been working late last night. He wore a plain, gray shirt and a red tie. His brown jeans looked heavily worn, and even the belt had holes in it from repeated usage._ Didn't he ever go clothes shopping? Not without his wife_, I thought bitterly to myself.

The little girl standing next to him must have been Nanako Dojima. She wore pink sneakers and gray socks, a brown skirt with a blouse that was two shades of pink, or red, whatever. Her brown hair was relatively short, and she was looking at the ground, obviously avoiding eye contact.

I extended my hand, and Dojima shook it, "Well, you're more handsome in person than in your photo. Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. Let's see...I'm your mother's younger brother, and that about sums it up."

"It's been a long time since I've last seen you. I barely remember you except that you like drinking coffee," I responded.

Dojima chuckled, "I'll say. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers..." He motioned for Nanako to step forward, and she did so reluctantly, "This here's my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

Nanako continued looking at the ground, very tense, and I noticed the ends of her hair bent back with ribbons. Eventually, she spoke, "'lo."

She blushed and ran behind Dojima, who laughed, "What're you so shy for?" Nanako playfully hit him on the backside, and I stifled a laugh in my throat, "Ow, hahaha!" Dojima laughed once more, before turning back to me.

"Well, then... Let's get going. My car's over there." Dojima motioned towards his vehicle, which looked like a Subaru minivan or something of the sort.

Dojima and Nanako walked ahead to the car. And I started to follow. Before I got ten feet, I heard a young woman's voice, "...Hey."

I turned to see an unfriendly-looking girl. She wore a white, buttoned up shirt, and a black tie hung from her neck in the oddest way. Her eyes looked dark green, and her light black hair didn't reach her shoulders. She had a studded leather belt on, yet she was wearing a short red skirt, which confused me further. She had striped zebra stockings. Noticing I was looking her over, she presented a piece of paper, "You dropped this."

"Thank you." I replied, and as I walked up she handed it to me. Up close, I could tell she was really beautiful, although she seemed confused for some reason.

"Whatever. All I did was pick it up," She said, with a cool, distant voice.

I noticed she had handed me the note I made about Dojima's address, "No, really. Thanks. I need this," She was quiet, and I added, "Are you alright?" She walked off, not saying a word, and before I could pursue the conversation, I heard a very familiar voice.

"What's wrong?" Dojima asked, and as he did I turned and headed towards the car. Dojima turned the car on and drove us through the larger part of town. We passed some market called Junes, and eventually came up on the central shopping district. On the way, Dojima pointed out some local shops before driving up to a Moel Gas station.

As we drove up, I noticed a green delivery truck drive away. Dojima parked the car and a gas station attendant ran around from where the truck had been, "Hi! Welcome to Moel!"

Dojima turned to Nanako, who had asked to use the bathroom on the way home, "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?"

"Uh-huh," Nanako replied quietly, and I noticed for the first time how mature she seemed to be.

Nanako and Dojima both exited the vehicle as I sat in the backseat. The attendant turned to Nanako after greeting Dojima, "It's in the back, to your left. You know which way's left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in."

Nanako indignantly replied, "I know... Geez..." She ran off to the bathroom, and I snickered at how she hated to be underestimated so casually. Note to self: Take Nanako seriously.

The attendant turned to Dojima, "Are you taking a trip?"

"No, we just went to pick him up. He just moved here from the big city," Dojima said, as I stepped out of the back seat.

"The city, huh...?" The attendant eyed me, and I noticed she was a beautiful older woman, maybe thirty or older.

"Fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine," Dojima added.

"Right away, sir!" The attendant said cheerfully.

"Good a time as any for a smoke..." Dojima said, mostly to himself, before walking to the right of the gas station.

"Are you in high school?" The attendant finally turned her attention on me, "Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here? There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now," The attendant walked out and extended a hand, and I shook her hand, "Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student."

"Uh, sure, ma'am," I replied, quietly.

"Oh, I should get back to work," The attendant ran to go fill up Dojima's vehicle.

I noticed Nanako was looking at me when an intense pain in my head struck, similar to the one from before.

"...Are you okay?" Nanako asked, looking at me with a concerned face, "Did you get carsick? You don't look too good."

I noticed her concern, "I don't know, I've been having strange headaches all day today," Now I was feeling openly dizzy, and it annoyed me. I hated being sick.

Dojima walked back, a dying cigarette in his mouth. Did I mention I hated smoking? A horrible habit. Dojima drank, too, according to my mom, but he wasn't an addict for either. At least, I hoped. He was the only member of our family to still care about us, "What's wrong? You okay?"

"I've been feeling lightheaded all day. I don't know why," I replied, my voice higher than before.

"That's understandable. It's been a long trip for you," I nodded in agreement, "Why not take a little walk, get some fresh air? Just let me know when you are ready to go. You can check out the shopping district a bit," Dojima motioned towards the neighboring stores, and I nodded in understanding.

I walked down the road to the very first shop and noticed it was a small book store. A sign said that three new books were due to be released on April 20th. The first was "The Lovely Man", a book in the famous Man series that had spread like wildfire last year. The other two seemed rather boring; Expert Study Methods and Beginner Fishing.

As I walked past, I was greeted by an old woman, "Hm... You have something to do in the shopping district?"

I nodded, "I just moved here to be with my uncle. He suggested I take a quick walk and familiarize myself here."

She nods, "It's a bit run down, but we have everything here. It used to be a lot more prosperous back in the day, but we only see regulars nowadays. If only Junes hadn't come to town... It's convenient, but it's a little sad."

_Ah, Junes. A middle class family's Walmart. Junes had been a smaller start up in Eastern China, in the bay cities, back in the late seventies. Withing fifteen years, it dominated Asian markets, and now they were expanding heavily into Europe and America. Due to their convenience and their exciting line-up of both foreign and local goods, Junes was dominating. Then, a couple years back, Junes faced legal issues due to the way staff was treated. Junes was on the defensive now, trying to win back its consumers. Stocks fell rapidly, and now there were only a hundred outside of Asia. Despite these setbacks, Junes was revolutionizing business in third world countries, bringing convenience and eventually, establishing unions. Many of the higher-ups donated regularly to bring small villages and cities into shape in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and poorer European countries. Thanks to their generous nature, Junes regained its losses and had seized a permanent place in foreign trade. Naturally, their efforts were only bolstered even further when the Kirijo Group invested. _

_Man, the Kirijo Group. Talk about conspiracy. They had their hands on everything into and outside of Japan, and it was disgusting. Ever since the death of Takeharu, the newest head of Kirijo had tripled their efforts at controlling the masses. For some reason, people suddenly forgave them for the tragedies that had occurred twelve years ago. What fools._

Next to the book store was what looked like an armory, although the man at the counter was frightening in appearance, so I didn't enter. The name read Daidara Metalworks. As I turned around, I noticed the unfriendly-looking girl I had run into at the station. I walked over, "Hey, remember me?"

"Hm...? Have we met before?" She replied, staring off into space.

"I met you about a half an hour ago. What were you doing at the station?" I asked, wondering how she got here before my uncle.

"The station...? Oh, that one time," She seemed so confused, "...Nothing. I just went. …I don't have anywhere to go," She fell silent, and I got the social cue to leave her be.

Further down the road was a store called Marukyu Tofu. Outside the store, I noticed two people in school uniforms, like mine.

The boy of the two was shorter than the other person. He had gray eyes and light brown hair, slicked-back with what appeared to be a little too much hair gel for my tastes. He wore the standard uniform, except he had a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath it. Next to him stood a taller girl with the same brown hair, although much longer and curlier towards the ends. Her gray eyes looked bored, if not somewhat sad. It became evident they were siblings by how closely they resembled each other.

I stepped closer, and I began to hear their argument, "Hey, do you know where my snack went? I had the cream puffs in the fridge, but they're gone..." The boy spoke, with a quiet, somewhat mature voice.

"Oh, I ate it just now. I thought it was leftovers," She said nonchalantly, as if she didn't even care. What I noted was how annoying her damn voice was.

"What!? No, it wasn't leftovers! I was making sure to save it for later!" The boy yelled, some sweat rolling down his cheek.

"Oh, really? Sorry 'bout that," She replied, with such an I don't give a damn attitude, "Well, I'm going to work. See ya."

"What!? I was really looking forward to eating it..." The boy replied, before looking at the ground as the girl ran off, "Stupid Junes and their stupid overcharging for things."

The last store on the block, labeled the Shiroku Store, was closed for today. I noticed there were more stores down the road, but I turned back, deciding to explore them in more depth tomorrow, or sometime this week.

Eventually, I got back to the car, where Dojima greeted me, "How're you feeling? Ready to get back in the car?"

"I'm ready," I nodded, somewhat more tired than before.

"All right, let's hit the road then," He replied, and we all got back into the vehicle.

As he pulled into the driveway next to what I assumed was his house, I got my first look at the Dojima residence. The two-story building had brown wood outsides, with dark green tilings. There were two kinds of windows, and the front door was a lockable sliding door that seemed relatively new compared to the outside of the house. There was an old scooter next to the right half of the fence and the small red mailbox was on the left side of the fence. I stepped inside, taking my shoes off on the tile floor in the kitchen and setting them aside with the other shoes. As my feet hit the soft, brown carpeting in the rest of the bottom floor, I noticed the stairs to my right. The kitchen was small, with a stove and a refrigerator, and a counter across from both for gathering and cooking. The dining room table was wooden, with four chairs, one on each side. Atop was a fruit bowl, today's newspaper, and a coffee mug.

I sat down at the small table in the living room, a low, wooden table. I watched a weather report on the television that Nanako had already turned on until Dojima got settled. Before us, we had small, microwaveable sushi plates he had bought as sort of a celebration. On the table, he had a jug of orange juice, two bottles of Quelorie Magik, and the remote, which Nanako moved to her side of the table.

Dojima motioned for her to turn the television off, and she obliged, "All right, let's have a toast," Dojima guzzled a can of fruit juice while Nanako drank orange juice from a glass. I downed an entire plastic bottle of Quelorie Magik, a tangy grape flavor, "So... Your mom and dad are busy as always... They're working overseas, was it?"

"Somewhere in Virginia. Stuck in some hot room doing paperwork for the next eleven months," I replied.

"Virgin-yuh?" Nanako asked, confused.

"A state on the eastern coast of the United States. On the Atlantic Ocean's coast," I said, explaining further.

"I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents... It's rough being a kid."

"Not really. I told them I'd go anywhere to stay in Japan. When you offered, I knew I'd have some fun with family for once," I said, slightly bitterly.

"Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having you around. So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home," Dojima said, smiling for once.

"Thank you for your kindness," I responded, not knowing what Dojima expected of me.

"C'mon, there's no need to be so formal," He replied, chuckling, "Look, you're making Nanako all tense."

Nanako, surprised by this comment, looked down at her food, "Well, anyway, let's eat," Dojima motioned for us to eat.

Just as we picked up our chopsticks, a phone rang. "Ugh... Who's calling at this hour?" Dojima asked, sounding exasperated, and he pulled his phone out of his right back pocket, "Dojima speaking..."

Quickly, he stood up and walked away, "Yeah? I see...Where is it? All right, I'm on my way... Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze..." He turned to us, "Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me," Nanako stood up, "I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?"

Nanako nodded, "Okay..." She said, sounding tired and a little sad.

Dojima made his way out of the house, and as he locked the front door after sliding it open, he called to us,"Nanako, it's raining out. What did you do with the laundry?" Nanako did the laundry?

"I already brought it in!" She said, sounding accomplished.

"...All right. Well, I'm off!" He said, walking to his car and sliding the door closed. Nanako sat as his car drove off, and she turned on the television.

"-for this week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather," As the weather announcer came back on, I wondered why anyone would need an hourly breakdown. Is the news around here this boring?

"With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas," She announced.

"Except the mountains, right? Crap, why does the first day of school here have to be rainy? Hate when the back of my neck gets soaked. Stupid uniforms..." I complained.

"...Let's eat," Nanako said, turning my attention to our food, growing ever colder.

As Nanako began eating, my curiosity overcame me, "Nanako, what does your dad do for work?"

"He...investigates stuff. Like, crime scenes. My dad's a detective," She said calmly.

"And now for the local news," another announcer interrupted our conversation, "City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female announcer. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages."

_Typical. In it for the money. Everyone knew Misuzu never spent time with Namatame, so the fact that he fell in love with someone else wasn't surprising. Ever since her first hit, the only thing that mattered was her career. Selfish bitch._

"In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she will remain off the air and out of the public eye," the announcer continued.

"Please? The media is going to hound her like there's no tomorrow. She will still be splattered all over tv. Just not the way she intended," I said.

"...This is boring," Nanako said, and I nodded in agreement. She quickly changed the channel right into a Junes commercial.

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day! Come see for yourself and get in touch with our products!"

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Next came the catchy jingle that always follows their uninspired commercials.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang, remarkably better than the woman in the commercial. She turned to me, "...Aren't you going to eat?"

I began eating, and as we finished the meal, I offered to clean up so Nanako could enjoy her shows. She turned the television to a quiz show. I noticed the sliding closet behind the television as I washed the dishes, and I eventually went upstairs to my room.

I entered the dark room and felt something hit my face. I pulled the cord, and the square light came on. I noticed the two boxes next to the empty shelf that was already in the room. There was a blackish-brown sofa for reading and napping with three unopened boxes in front of it. There was a small, wooden table for working. Next to the shelf was a wardrobe, with dresser drawers next to it. In between the wardrobe and the drawers was a small, black cupboard, the top of which lay a television. The remote was on the side of the drawers closest to the cupboard. A desk and chair was situated in the corner of the room on the other side of the sofa, with empty cupboards for textbooks and homework. Next to the desk was the futon, a teal color with a black and white striped pillow, reminding me of a zebra.

My black dress pants matched the rest of my uniform; my white button-up shirt left me cold, so the black, button-up jacket made me more comfortable, though I never had time to button it. My white and gray socks stared back at me, figuratively, of course. Before I could stop myself, I fell into a deep slumber,

Of course, life isn't that easy, so I woke up in some mysterious bullshit place. Hoping to see Igor or Margaret, I shuddered when I realized I had thought of being "hopeful" to see them. The floor was red and black, like tiles, and I saw no walls or ceiling. The blue air surrounded me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. The fog was incredibly thick, and I couldn't see my own hands in front of my face.

Seeing nothing to do, I headed forwards into the fog. As fog began seeping onto the tiles and making them harder to see, I started sprinting. Even as the entire "road" turned to the left, I ran, fear coursing through me.

"Do you seek the truth...?" A mysterious voice called out to me. I stopped in my tracks, realizing it came from in front of me.

Running faster, the road curved to the right before going straight once more. Eventually, the voice returned, "If it's truth you desire, come and find me..."

I sped up, until I was greeted by a large, red and black door. Each line of red and black folded into the larger rings surrounding it as the door opened.

A sword faded into my grasp, and I held it tightly, confused. I swung the blade around, and though it cut through the fog with ease, more took its place.

I noticed a figure standing before me, and a feeling of dread washed over me. I stepped forward, blade in hand, ready to strike.

"So...You are the one pursuing me..." The person spoke, and it sounded like a mature, older woman, "Hmhmhm... Try all you like..."

Taking my blade, I swung forward, sending the blade across the figure's arms, who blocked their chest with them, "Hmmm... It seems that you can see a little, despite the fog..."

I struck again, if only to rebel against this person, who had brought me here. I stabbed the blade into what I assumed was their knee, and they faltered, "I see...Indeed... That is very interesting information..."

"Don't mock me!" I jumped and swung the blade overhead, ramming it into the skull of my opponent.

They merely laughed, "Someone sounds like a warrior prince. But... You will not catch me so easily... If what you seek is truth, then your search will be even harder..."

Suddenly, bewildering fog blocked my view. I began swinging all around me, desperate to strike my enemy.

"Everyone sees what they want to... And the fog only deepens..." I swung towards the voice, hitting nothing but air, "...Will we meet again...? At a place other than here... Hmhm... I look forward to it..."

Before I could make another witty retort, I fell unconscious, so the last words I spoke were, "you cheeky bastard..."


	3. April 12th, 2011

_**April 12th, 2011**_

_Do you know what sucks? Waking up at six fucking A.M. I don't know how Nanako does it._

I quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, dreading school. I casually strolled into the living room, carrying my red backpack. Naturally, I'd leave it in my school locker. Who does homework at home anymore? Ha!

"Good morning," Nanako said, and I noticed she had placed breakfast on the table. The smell of freshly cooked bacon and eggs hit my nostrils like a bulldozer.

"Morning, Nanako," I yawned, and as I sat down, the toast popped in up the toaster, a beautiful golden brown.

"Okay. Let's eat," Nanako said cheerfully.

"Did you do the cooking?" I asked, wondering where Dojima was.

She nodded triumphantly, "I can toast bread... and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner," She looked at her food, "You're starting school today, right?"

"I sure am, Nanako. Pretty nerve-wracking," I said, noticeably shy.

Nanako decided to try and cheer me up, "My school's on the way, so... let's go together."

"Really? That's great! Uh, I mean, if it makes you feel better," Nanako rolled her eyes at me and stuck her tongue out, playfully.

After dropping Nanako off at her elementary school, I made my way to Yasogami High School. I reached the Samegawa Flood Plain. Named because it was in the flooding zone of the nearby Samegawa River, it was a pleasant walk on the way to school. I had no time to enjoy it, however, because the rain was an ungrateful bitch.

"You keep going straight from here!" Nanako had said, as she waved me down towards the flood plain. She had turned back around and headed to her school.

Eventually, I entered the heart of the school zone. Walking past some dumpsters, I heard a young man scream behind me, "Waaaaaaaagh!"

I turned to see someone riding a bike while trying to carry a grey umbrella, similar to mine. He eventually crashed into a power pole.

I walked up and looked him over. He had unkempt hair that looked fawn? His brown eyes closed as he gripped his groin, and I struggled not to laugh. He was wearing the typical school uniform, along with a white V-neck with long sleeves. He also was sporting a pair of red headphones, wrapped around his neck.

"Ngh... Urrrrghhhh..." He said, clearly in pain. His yellow bike lay flat next to him, and his grey umbrella was now overturned on the ground. I simply walked past him, intent on leaving him be.

Before long, I made it to the front gates of Yasogami High School. The stone pillars were connected to the metal fencing that ran around the entirety of the school zone. The building was three floors, and it looked quite intimidating to me, as a first-timer.

In the hallways, I reached the faculty office, where I was greeted by the most infuriating teacher I've ever had the displeasure to acquaint myself with.

The man had a velvet lined suit, with a checkered orange and yellow tie. He had short black hair that hung lower by his cheeks, and he had unbelievably huge buck teeth.

"Hey, you! What are you doing in here!?" He yelled, almost accusingly.

"I...I'm the transfer student. I'm supposed to head into Classroom 2-2, but I was instructed to enter the office and meet my teacher first," I said, trying not to urge him to further yell.

"Ah, there you are, you lousy brat! About damn time you got here, you cheeky dickwaffle!" Before I could retort, he ushered me out, "Hurry up, upstairs, we need to get to class! Your lollygagging made us late!"

He opened the door to Classroom 2-2 and strolled in, walking somewhat akin to a penguin. I followed suit, my right thumb in my pocket, unable to find the right words.

He turned to the class as I stood next to his desk, "Awright, shut your traps!" Everyone immediately quieted, showing me they knew this man quite well, "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward!"

He turned to me and grimaced. Turning to the class once more, he began a lecture, "First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like lovestruck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!" Everyone looked noticeably sicker after his announcement.

"Now I hate _wasting_ time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student! This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him! Tell 'em your name kid, and make it quick," He addressed me.

Unable to contain my rage, I took a step forward towards the class, "Nice to meet you all. My name is Robert Hawke, and I'd like to mention I chose to be here. Unlike my overpaid, annoying, loudmouthed prick of a teacher here with the beaver teeth and the bad haircut," Everyone's eyes opened wide as I berated the teacher in his own class, "I'm a loser? I'm garbage? You don't know fuck all about me, mate," I added, smirking at the annoying bastard.

"Hrnh... That's it! You're on my shit list, effective immediately! You cocky brat! I'll be sure to show you your place here!" Morooka said, enraged, but I felt like he...enjoyed the challenge, "Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know... it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places... Talk to me like that again and you'll get a front row seat to the principal's office!"

"Do I also get a backstage pass? Or are you too cheap to spring for both?" Once again, the class seemed shocked by my response.

"Holy shit, he did not just do that!" A girl said, and I looked at her conversing to her friends. The whisperer was a short girl with pale skin, brown eyes, and navy blue hair, part of which was braided and adorned by a hair clip.

"Aika, quiet! Did I give you permission to talk!?" Kinshiro exclaimed.

"Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" A girl raised her hand, speaking about the open desk to the left of her. The girl had light brown, bowl-shaped hair, and they matched her brown eyes. She wore a light-green high-collared athletic jacket, which covered her school uniform. She wore the customary mini skirt, but she had also added black leggings.

"Huh? Yeah, sure, you hear that! Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already, dumbass!" As Morooka berated me once more, I hurriedly sat down next to the girl, my first day being much more exciting than I had originally intended.

"He's the worst, huh?" The girl said as I sat next to her. Up close, I noticed that she was actually quite cute, "Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class... Well, we just have to hang in there for a year."

"At least I'm stuck here with you," I said, and noticing her reaction, I added, "With someone friendly, I mean."

"Y-yeah, sure," She replied, still blushing a little.

"Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron's class on the first morning here," a quiet kid with rectangular glasses, short, brown hair, and the regular uniform on.

The girl next to him, Aika, replied, "Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side," She added, "Then again, we're all in the same boat, aren't we, Takuro?"

The boy, Takuro, nodded in agreement.

"Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

_This is going to be a long day, isn't it?_

After the last bell rang, Morooka turned to us, "That's all for today! Normal lectures will start tomorrow."

Bells rang, and the voice came on through the intercom, "Attention all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students are not to leave the school until further notice."

"Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise. Or I'll find you." He turned and left the classroom.

"He's seriously getting on my nerves..." A brown-haired girl was speaking with Aika, Takuro, and another boy, with longer, golden-brown hair.

"I know right? Maki, we're gonna have a looong year ahead of us," Takuro said, discouraged.

Sirens rang out, and three male students, one being the boy with Takuro, Takuro himself, and a red-headed male student I think was named Aki, ran to the window, "Did something happen? Don't those sirens sound really close?" Takuro said, excitedly.

"Ugh, I can't see a damn thing. Frickin' fog..." Aki responded, "What about you, Tatsuya?"

Tatsuya nodded, "Nothing," He pressed his face up against the window.

"Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy," Takuro said, now bored more so than before.

"Hey, did you hear? I hear that paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer," Aki added.

"Oh yeah. You mean Mayumi Yamano, right?" Takuro said, slyly, "I heard some guys spotted her in shopping district."

"Actually, I heard that some newbie police detective was talking to her. Apparently, she checked into the Amagi Inn not too long ago," Aki replied.

"Are you serious?!" Takuro exclaimed.

Takuro quickly made his way over to the girl in front of my new friend's desk, "Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something?" He quickly asked, "Is it true that announcer's staying at your inn?"

"I can't discuss such things," Yukiko replied, and as she did, I looked at her more carefully. Yukiko was actually stunningly beautiful, with long, straight, black hair, a red hairband, and gray eyes that currently seemed worried. Her outfit was covered by her red sweater, a dark bloody color that suited her outfit, and she wore black pantyhose under her skirt, like many other girls in class seemed to favor.

"Y-yeah, I guess not," Takuro said, disheartened, "Bye, Yukiko."

The girl I sat next to sighed loudly, "Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?"

Yukiko smiled, "There's no telling."

"I shoulda left before the announcement came on... By the way, didja try what I told you the other day!?" She said, now excited.

Yukiko looked confused, "Chie, what do you mean? I think I forgot..."

"You know... That thing about rainy nights..." Chie explained.

"Oh... No, not yet. Sorry," Yukiko apologized.

"Ahh, that's okay! It's just, I heard a guy in the class next door yell something like, 'My soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!' I was curious after that, but I fell asleep before I could try it myself!"

"Attention, all students," The intercom's mechanical voice returned once more, "There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat..."

Well, shit. Can't call Dojima, I guess.

"Incident!?" Aika exclaimed.

"What, something actually happened?" Maki replied, somewhat uninterested.

"C'mon, let's go take a look!"Aika exclaimed, "I have to check by Aiya's anyways."

The two girls headed outside.

I stood up to leave, but Yukiko and Chie ambushed me at my desk, almost immediately, "Hey, are you going home by yourself?" Chie inquired.

I nodded, "I guess so."

"Why don't you come with us?" Chie said, smiling, "Oh, I nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?"

I chuckled, "Of course I do. I assume you got my name when I pissed off King Moron, right?"

Chie chuckled, "Yeah, that was pretty great. Well, nice to meet you!" She turned to her friend, "This is Yukiko Amagi."

"Oh, nice to meet you... I'm sorry that this is so sudden..." Yukiko said, with a quiet, more mature voice.

"Not at all. I was very worried about fitting in here. I've never been one for making friends. Rather quiet and introverted, once you get to know me. Unless you piss me off. Then hell's wrath be unleashed upon thy unworthy souls!" I spoke, from the heart, before striking a battle pose.

"C'mon, don't apologize for that. It makes me look like I've got no upbringing," Chie said, frantically, "I just wanted to ask some stuff, really. That's all."

"Probe the transfer student's brain, huh? Sure, why not? I've got some interesting stories. Moved to America for a few years."

As we began talking, the boy I saw hurt himself walked up, looking like the world was ending. His pale face got worse as he noticed we could see something in his hands, "Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka...? This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see..." Chie looked confused.

The bleak-looking student held a DVD case towards Chie, bending over, head down in shame, "And... I'm really sorry! It was just an accident! Please, just have mercy until my next paycheck!" He exclaimed, frightened.

Chie took the case, and he stood up, "See ya, thanks!" He started walking away as quickly as he could.

"Stop right there! What did you do to my CD?" Chie ran after him, delivering a swift kick to his groin after opening the case, "Yosuke! What the!? I can't believe this! It's completely cracked..." She wailed in sadness and annoyance, "My Trial of the Dragon...!"

"I think mine's cracked, too," Yosuke responded, "C-critical hit to the nads." A wave of pain flowed over me as I felt his pain. _Damn you, empathy. Damn you!_

"A-are you all right?" Yukiko asked, actually concerned.

"Oh, Yukiko-san... Are you worried about me?" He said, grimacing, as he hopped in place.

"He's fine, Yukiko! Let's ditch him and go home," Chie closed her CD case, put it in her backpack, and opened the sliding door. She and Yukiko left the room, and I hurried my way out of the door, leaving Yosuke to his ball pain.

Yukiko, Chie, and I reached the front gate, talking about King Moron, amongst other things, when a boy dressed as someone from another school walked towards us. He had short, messy, black hair, parted slightly in the middle. His complexion was cool and ashen, and his skin was slightly more peachy than mine, He had some kind of birth defec-"beauty mark" under his left eye. He slouched as he walked slowly towards us, breathing heavily. His eyes drooped, and his expression was grim despite him trying to smile. His black school uniform was different, as it had a green and orange emblem on it, along with a green tie. What shocked me, scared me to my very core, was his pitch black eyes. The freak had no pupils. Talk about scary.

"You're Yuki, right? Y-you want to hang out somewhere?" I stifled my chuckling at this failed attempt to hit on Yukiko.

"What...? Wh-who are you?" Yukiko said, confused.

"What's up with him? What school is he from? Eh, Kai?" I turned around to see Takuro with another student, with black hair and glasses.

Kai shrugged, "Never mind that, he's going for Yukiko-san? Man, you'd think that he'd at least wait until she was alone to make his move..."

"I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out," Takuro replied.

"No bet! Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi challenge is!?" Kai exclaimed.

"Um, so... are you coming or not?" The boy said, getting rather impatient.

"I-I'm not going," Yukiko said, flatly.

"Damn, boy! You just got owned!" I said very quietly to Chie, who nodded.

"...Fine!" The boy fled, in embarrassment.

"What... What did he want from me?" Yukiko asked, confused. My palm quickly hit my face as I realized how socially inept she could be at times.

"What did he want...? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date," Chie replied, snappily.

"Huh? Really...? Yukiko said, completely surprised.

"You really had no clue? Sheesh..." Chie said, "But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."

Yosuke walked up, moving his bike as he walked alongside it, "Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel... You got me the same way last year."

"I don't recall doing that,: Yukiko said, looking confused.

"Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime?" Yosuke said, his right eye closed alongside a ladies' man smirk.

"...I'd rather not," Yukiko said, shooting him down like a high-powered jet bringing down a small biplane.

Yosuke sighed, "That'll teach me to get my hopes up... Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much." Yosuke got on his bike and pedaled off down the road, keeping as far from any trash cans as possible.

"We're just curious, is all!" Chie shot back, hoping Yosuke could still hear her.

"U-um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Yukiko said, looking my way.

"I should be the sorry one. I don't want Moron King to get on your cases for hanging out with a boy, Especially the smart ass transfer student from hell!"

"C'mon, let's go. Everyone's staring," Chie said, uncomfortable.

As Chie walked on ahead, I turned to Yukiko and smiled, and she returned the favor, though quietly.

"Ah...so you came here because of your parent's job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious," Chie said, sounding surprised.

"You make it sound like I'm a serial pimp that knocked up like fifteen girls? Hahaha, no, the only trouble I got in was for being a smart ass. Being socially awkward and having little to no friends all your life tends to make you a loner," I responded.

"For having no friends, you seem able to hold a conversation well," Chie replied, trying to urge me to reveal more.

Now, I love mind games. But even more, I like to win. Chie seemed like the competitive type, albeit not intellectually, but maybe it was worth a shot.

"I study psychology. The inner workings of the human brain. I'm a social science nerd. Get me in a math or science class, I'll probably fail my ass off. Not for lack of trying. I just like learning, is all. I'm still highly illiterate in social situations. If not for watching all the anime I have, I'd be totally uneducated in social situations," I admitted begrudgingly.

Chie nodded, "Well, it seems they did you some good. There really is nothing here, huh? That's what makes it nice, but there is nothing much that we can show to outsiders. Though, there is something from Mt. Yasogami... I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous. Oh, wait!" Chie motioned to her friend, "There's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!"

"Huh? It's just... an old inn," Yukiko retorted.

"No way! It's been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure! It's a great inn! It's been going for generations and Yukiko here is going to take over someday," Chie sounded very proud of her friend, "Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going."

Yukiko blushed, "...I don't think that's entirely true."

"So tell me, you think Yukiko's cute, huh?" Chie asked, out of the blue.

"Wait, what? Where did that come from?" I asked, somewhat shocked.

"Well, answer it already!" Chie said.

I closed my mouth, trying to find some kind of scapegoat, but damn if I could find one, "Yeah, I do." I blushed hard, and I could tell by the glint in Chie's eyes she felt like a winner right now.

"I knew it!" Chie chuckled, sounding ever more victorious.

"Come on... Don't start this again..." Yukiko muttered sadly.

"She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?" Chie elaborated.

"C-come on, stop it!" Yukiko insisted, blushing even more.\

I shrugged, "Maybe she just hasn't found the right g...Person. No need to rush. Especially if King Moron might find out," I said, mostly joking.

"Y-you shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend!" Yukiko tried to do damage control, "Wait, n-no, what I meant to say was I didn't need a boyfriend! Geez... Chie!"

Chie laughed loudly, "Sorry, I'm sorry. But this is our big chance to talk to someone from the city, and you've barely said a word!" Chie looked ahead, "Hey, what's that?"

The three of us walked ahead, finding a group of people gathered next to a police blockade. As the three of us remained quiet, we overheard gossip from the housewives.

"So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street..." One said.

"Wow. Who could imagine THAT hanging from an antenna?" The other wife replied.

"I wanted to see it too." It? What was hanging on the antenna?

"Uh, you got here too late. The police and the fire department took it down just a moment ago," What it!? Was it a scary clown from my nightmarish childhood? Damn you, Stephen King!

"Well, I think it's terrifying! I can't believe a dead body showed up around here..." As she said this, everything clicked, and I was rooted to the spot, in fear. I looked at the aforementioned antenna and nearly puked.

"Wait! What did she just say!? A dead body!?" Chie exclaimed.

Before either of us could respond, Uncle Dojima walked over, "Hey, what are you doing over here?"

"We got out from school. I tried to call you, but you were busy. We were just passing by," I replied, somewhat surprised.

"Huh... I should have figured that would happen," Dojima said, "That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here."

"...You know this guy?" Chie asked, eyeing him.

"Of course. This is my uncle, Dojima. I came to live with him. Uncle, this is Chie and Yukiko. I met them just today at school," I explained, my voice shaking a bit.

"I'm Detective Dojima, his guardian. Uhh...How should I say this... I hope you get along with him," My uncle replied, making it sound awkward, "But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home."

Dojima turned to the crime scene, but another police officer ran past, before puking all over the side walk.

"Adachi! How long are you going to keep acting like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?" Dojima said, berating him.

"I-I'm sorry, ngh!" Adachi replied, wiping his chin.

Dojima sighed, "Go wash your face. We are going to gather information," Dojima walked off, and Adachi hurried after.

"is this what that announcement was about!?" Chie said, surprised.

"What do they mean, it was hanging from an antenna...?" Yukiko asked, with a face suggesting she did not want an answer.

"Hey, Yukiko? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?" Chie asked.

Yukiko nodded, "Good idea!"

"Alright, then. We're taking off! Starting tomorrow neighbor, let's do our best!" Chie said, excited.

"Academically? Socially? Not running into crime scenes?" I asked, half-jokingly.

The two walked off, and as they turned the corner, I did what any sane man would do: I got the f**k our of there.

I hurried my way down through the Central Shopping District. Along the way, I noticed the Chinese Diner Aiya. I saw Aika run off, delivery in hand, and I laughed. There was a bulletin board filled with listings of job openings, and a picture of a very familiar enka singer. Next door was Souzai Daigaku, a delightful little shop that sold meat, according to Chie.

On the right side of the road was the intimidating Tatsuhime Shrine. The shrine was beautiful, even with all the birds surrounding it.

Past the shrine was a closed store, Tatsumi Textiles. Seeing the name Tatsumi reminded me of 1999, in the great Tatsumi Island incident. Then, ten years later, a cult predicting the end of the world showed up, led by some man named Takaya. Rumor was that he and his cohort, Jin, survived what they hailed as the Fall, and were doing community service for some secret operation.

The next shop was Nishino Barber. The last notable store on the left was Konishi Liquors. Several police officers stood outside of it, and I quickly walked past.

I finally reached the outside of the Dojima residence and stepped inside.

Later that night, Nanako and I sat at the living room table, watching more news reports.

"I wonder if dad's not coming home tonight," Nanako said, sounding sad.

"Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa riverbed in Inaba. The deceased has been identified as Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at a local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation has been revealed..."

"The Inaba Police Department!" Nanako exclaimed, "That's where Dad works!"

I decided to try and console her, "It'll be all right," I assured her.

"...I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens," She said, nonchalantly.

"The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death was an accident or a homicide."

_How in the mighty universe could that ever possibly be a fucking accident? Like, seriously? What dumbass wrote this!? Who accidentally ends up dead on a television antenna with no explanation? Maybe in America, but here!?_

The announcer continued, "A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvas the area are delayed until tomorrow."

"They found her on the roof? That's scary..." Nanako said, sounding worried.

"Oh, it's Junes!" As soon as the commercial started, Nanako brightened up.

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day! Come see for yourself and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!" The catchy jingle played once more.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang, ousting the boring woman once more.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" I tried to sing, failing miserably, to Nanako's delight.

She laughed at my epic fail, "You memorized it already? I'm the best one in my class!" Her mind was now completely off of the scary story, and I smiled to myself.

As I entered my room, I immediately passed out. No crappy dreams, either. Things were looking up. Sort of...


	4. April 13th, 2011

_**April 13th, 2011**_

In my slumber, I had a dream. Yet another dream that I didn't understand.

First, Mayumi Yamano, walking towards Yosuke and I near what looked like the shopping district. Red mist flowed from her, until two insect-like legs sprung from her back and slammed into the ground, lifting her up.

A man that looked like a shirtless Jesus, with gold, catlike eyes, staring at me, revolver in hand. Next to him stood a serious-looking young man, with a gun pointed at his own head. Another person, a girl in a very weird outfit, carrying a large notebook smirked at me, in a way that was both evil yet divine. Suddenly, my brain remembered; this was Strega! What were they doing in Inaba!?

Next I envisioned the boy from today, the one that tried to ask Yukiko out. He stepped back, and I felt like he was afraid of me. I noticed a sword in my hand, and without my consent, I moved to attack him.

Margaret appeared before me, her black book now opened. Her eyes seemed serious, as she eyed me. She waved her hand, and the book's pages moved, summoning behind her a creature I couldn't recognize.

I climbed block after block, completely confused about where the hell I was. As I began getting further up, I heard something from below. I looked down to notice a masked creature, stalking me on my way up. I screamed in fear.

My body moved on its own, and I noticed an injured Yosuke, covered in bruises. Before I could ask him how he was, I laughed, before kicking him while he was down. I lowered my sword to the back of his head. I screamed, struggling for myself to stop, and I blacked out.

My uncle stood before me, though his eyes were now a deep, frightening gold. He pulled out his gun and lunged at me, firing, all the while cackling like a madman. I screamed, straining my voice as I tried to run.

The gas station attendant from Moel, the station I visited the first day in Inaba, laughed at me, and I got a really bad feeling.

Before me stood a beautiful girl wearing our school uniform. She had beautiful white hair, and I noticed her deep, red eyes as she looked upon me. I tried to speak, but I suddenly awoke in bed. Damn, she was hot.

The second painful morning went by much more quickly. I soon found myself near the trash that Yosuke had crashed into yesterday. I noticed someone rolling around in a trash can, and when I saw the yellow bike, I knew exactly what had happened.

"S-someone!" Yosuke exclaimed, asking desperately for help from anyone.

Stopping the trash can with my foot, I dragged him out. Damn, he weighs more than I had expected.

Yosuke quickly stood up and got his bike upright, "Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Umm... Oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Robert Hawke. You put the screws to King Moron."

"I didn't intend to. He's just an insufferable..." I said, rage building once more.

"I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya," He said, smiling.

"Are you okay? You look like you hurt yourself," I asked, concerned by his repeated wipe outs.

"Oh yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Yosuke reassured me, "Say, did you hear about the incident yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna!"

I nodded, "Yukiko, Chie, and I accidentally stumbled upon the crime scene. Down by Samegawa."

Yosuke looked grim, "You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something like that could have been an accident..."

"That was a homicide. It's obvious, judging by the position of the body. One does not simply fall onto an antenna dead accidentally, right?" I asked, ensuring this town didn't have some screwed up history of random bodies being found.

"Dangling a dead body on a roof like that? That's just messed up..." Yosuke spoke quietly, "Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place."

"Yeah. My uncle Dojima has his hands full with work now. He's one of the detectives on the case. Seems like the entire police force is focused on this one case," I replied, telling him what I knew.

"Oh, crap! We're late!" Yosuke exclaimed, "You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine."

As awkward as it was reaching school, we made it to class before the final bell rang. Morooka greeted us, the veins bulging on his forehead.

"Be quiet, you idiots!" Morooka berated the class, "You guys ARE in high school, aren't you!? Can't you shut up during class? Don't you have any common sense? First of all, my job is to waste my time teaching you assholes philosophy! And since I'm so nice... I'll straighten up your rotten attitudes while I'm at it! Aren't you honored!? And I'll be going especially hard on you morons that're curious about the murder! Got it!? Now get your books out!"

It was a very long day, as we met all of our teachers. Each had their own unique charms, not that I want to go into detail right now.

Eventually, school ended, and I sighed in relief.

Yosuke walked up to my desk, "So, you getting used to this place?" He started stretching, as sitting in one chair for so long was painful if you haven't done it for a while.

"Not yet, it's only been a couple of days. Literally. I'm not very adaptable, honestly," I replied.

"Yeah, well, you just got here," The smarmy bastard replied with his signature cool guy look, "There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain... something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great... Oh, you know about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh?"

"Chie was quite excited when she brought it up," I said, reminded of my conversation from yesterday.

"I know a place where we can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me," Yosuke offered, smiling.

"What about me, huh? No apologies?" Chie said, "My Trial of the Dragon?" Chie complained stressing the DVD title.

"Urgh...You always come around when I'm talking about food..." Yosuke said, somewhat jokingly.

"How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?" Chie asked, looking for backup.

Yukiko stood up, "I'll pass... I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn, anyway."

"Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?" Yosuke curiously asked.

"It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy," I noticed Yukiko looked somewhat sullen as she said this, "Well, I should be on my way." Yukiko left the classroom, and I wondered what may be wrong.

"Oh well. We should get going, too!" Chie said, ushering Yosuke and I along.

"Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people?" Yosuke said, surprised.

"I can help pay, haha!" I said, chuckling.

We stopped at Junes and made our way to the food court. After ordering food with Yosuke's customary discount, we sat at a nice, large table, out in front.

"THIS is the cheap place you were talking about...? They don't have grilled steak here." Chie complained.

"Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans," Yosuke said.

"Toot-toot! All aboard the freeload express!" I said, laughing.

"Still, that's no reason to take us to your place," Chie said, and I wondered what she meant by that.

Yosuke sighed, "Dude, this isn't my place or anything," I looked confused, and Yosuke noticed, "Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh? I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it."

"Holy crap, this place grew this much in six months!?" I exclaimed, and Yosuke smirked, proud of his father.

"So our entire family came out here," He continued, grabbing a soda, "Here, this is to welcome you to town."

I grabbed my soda as he turned to Chie, "Satonaka, yours is on me, too!"

"Yeah, I know," Chie said very dominantly, causing me to smile a little.

"So Chie, are you the only non transfer student here?" I asked, curious.

Chie nodded, "Yep, Inaba born and raised! Guess it's why I love the grilled steak here so much."

Yosuke chuckled, "You love pretty much anything that has protein and died."

"Wha! Hey, that's not fair! There's nothing wrong with liking meat in your diet!" Chie said.

Yosuke smirked at this, and started to egg her further, "Do you even chew before you swallow?"

Chie looked surprised by this retort, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"

I jumped in, "He's asking you how you like your meat."

Chie blushed and smacked Yosuke and I lightly before changing the conversation, "It's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the shopping district much since," Chie noted, "A lot of stores started closing, and...Oh, uh..." As Chie abruptly stopped, I looked around to search for what made her stop mid-sentence.

"You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" Yosuke said, exasperated, "It's not like my dad wanted to hurt the local business..."

"Man, it's fine. There's nothing wrong with a retail chain bringing competition. Makes a community grow stronger together. Unites the people. I saw it in my home town. Walmart came in and put half the city downtown in the unused building section. People survived, and thrived," I tried to bring a positive to the situation, but Yosuke's attention quickly shifted.

"Hey... It's Saki-senpai!" Yosuke said, noticing a girl. I recognized her as the older sister who ate the cream puffs I had briefly met two days ago, "Sorry, be right back!" Yosuke stood up and went to speak to her.

"Is that Yosuke's girlfriend?" I asked, startled.

"Haha, he wishes!" Chie said, "That's Saki Konishi. Her family runs the liquor store in the shopping district. …I think she's working here part-time, though."

"That must be awkward, considering what's going down in the shopping district right now, right?"

Yosuke made playful conversation with Saki, who referred to him as Hana-chan, and Chie looked at him, somewhat sadly, "I feel bad for him. I really don't think she likes him. Sees him kind of like a kid brother. But Yosuke, he can't control how he feels. Then you have a bunch of the locals who resent him 'cause his dad owns Junes, and you can tell how lonely he is sometimes."

"Well, he's got us, doesn't he?" I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Saki and Yosuke walked toward us, and Saki greeted me, "Are you the transfer student?" I nodded, "Oh, did you hear about me already? It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much."

"Uh, not necessarily," Yosuke replied, somewhat surprised by the direction of her comment.

"He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good. Hana-chan's a good guy, but he gets nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you," Saki added.

"Nah, he's a great guy! Took Chie and I here and got us free food and everything. 'Sides, he understands what's it's like to be a transfer student," I said, relating to him.

"I know, I'm just kidding," Saki said, chuckling.

"Come on, Senpai. There's no need to worry about something like that," Yosuke defended himself.

"Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go..." She said, sounding annoyed, but she covered it up quickly, "Laters!"

"Oh, uh, Senpai?" Yosuke interrupted, but she walked off before he could refute her comments, so he sat back down, "Hahah, Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me! She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way..."

Chie smirked, "Oh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh? Haha, I get it... So that's how it is... The daughter of the local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain... Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!"

"Wha-!? Dude, it's not like that," Yosuke replied, blushing wildly.

"Oh, really? Well, I know just the thing to cure a lovesick heart," Chie said, ignoring his comment, "You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen... And they say that person's your soulmate!"

Yosuke laughed, "What? For a second, I thought you were going to say something actually useful," Yosuke added, "How can you get excited over such a childish urban legend like that?"

"Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!?" Chie exclaimed, somewhat insulted.

"Of course I don't," Yosuke said, not batting an eye.

"Well, it's raining tonight. Let's all try it out, and then you'll see!" Chie said, challenging him.

"Why am I involved? Haha, I never said it wasn't true!" I said, not wanting to stay up so late.

"Try it out...? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself yet? Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid... All that aside, you know that incident yesterday? You guys think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit is still lurking around?" Yosuke chuckled, an evil grin on his smug face.

"Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one...? All I'm saying is, you guys better try it out tonight," Chie pointed out.

"Man, if I don't get to school from lack of sleep, I'll get payback," I told Chie, who outright laughed.

"Or what? Hahaha, how do you expect to make me suffer in return, huh? Besides, I'm doing it, too!" Chie said, defending herself.

That night, the dinner table was quiet. Nanako ordered takeout and we both sat at the table, "Did your father call?" I asked.

"No. He always says he will..." Nanako said. The sliding door slid open, and Nanako jumped up, "Oh! H-he's home!"

Dojima walked over to us, looking physically exhausted, "What a day..." He turned to us, "I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?"

Nanako frowned, "No, you're late again..."

"I'm sorry. Been busy at work..." He sat down on the sofa, "Can you put the news on for me?" He said, clearly not wanting to hear it.

Nanako turned to the news posthaste, and the announcer began, "Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Miss Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer, Misuzu Hiiragi. The police plan to investigate this relationship, and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the student that discovered Ms. Yamano's body."

"An interview with the kid?" Dojima sighed, "Where the hell did they find her?"

The person on screen looked like Saki Konishi, despite her eyes being blocked out and part of her face obscured. It was obvious to anyone who had seen her close up that it was her. The reporter sounded like a fascinated kid, and one of the most annoying people I've never met, "What went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?"

"U-umm..." Her face was heavily distorted as well.

"Don't you think it was scary someone was killed on a foggy day?" The reporter asked. I remembered my dream the day before her body was found, the foggy other world I had found myself in. Could that somehow have been related? I barely remembered what happened, except for all the fog, though I think I met someone. My head hurt as I tried to remember.

"Huh...? She was killed?" Saki replied, surprised.

"Oh, err...Did you see anyone suspicious around here?" The reporter tried a new angle.

"No, not really," Saki spoke.

"We heard that you found her body when you school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?"

"What does that even have to do with the murder case? This just became Gossip Girl," I complained, and Dojima nodded in agreement. It seemed he too, was unable to stand this reporter.

"Huh, that's..." Before Saki could try to ask him to explain what he meant, it cut back to the announcer.

"-a tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district. Many store owners are raising concerns over losing customers as a result."

"If they lose more customers, it's because you're making such a stink about it," Dojima said, his annoyance obvious.

A commentator spoke, "It really is a bizarre case, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from, an antenna... I'd have to say it's a warning or a sign from the culprit..."

The announcer replied, "Yes, but so far no one has come forward to take credit for the crime."

Dojima sleepily added, "Loads of prank calls, though."

"So the cause of death is still unknown? And they don't have a single suspect yet? Taxpayers' funds are going to a police force that can't even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?" The commentator rudely added.

Dojima sighed, and I spoke, trying to defend him, "Try and do it yourself then, Mister I know everything."

"We'll be right back after these messages," The announcer cut the commentator off from saying any more.

The Junes commercial played once more and Nanako sang the jingle right after the woman in the commercial once more.

"Hey, Dad? Can we go to Junes together sometime?" Nanako asked, excited, but Dojima was already asleep.

"...No?" Nanako wondered, until she noticed he was asleep, "Geez..."

"I'm sure he'll let us go," I assured Nanako, "Ask him tomorrow. I'm going to head to bed," I said.

"'Night," Nanako said, returning to her quiz show.

I passed out, my alarm ringing loudly at 11:30. I sat up, waiting for the accursed midnight channel,. The rain pounded against the roof, making my room look especially dark and dreary.

As midnight struck, nothing happened, but just as I turned, I heard the TV come alive. I saw a girl on the screen, which caused me relief. It looked like someone from the shopping district.

"Thou Art I...I Art Thou...Thou are the one who opens the door..." A voice spoke in my head and I hit the floor, unable to contain the pain in my head. I sat up and put my hand on the TV screen, but it passed through. As my hand went inside the TV, I cursed to myself. Something pulled, and I fell in towards the TV.

Luckily, it was pretty small, so I fell back. Slamming my head against the work table while I was at it.

"Are you okay?" Nanako asked.

"Kind of... I hit my head... Haha..." I replied, rubbing my now sore head.

"Okay..." Nanako replied, "Well, good night."

As Nanako went back to her room, I looked at my TV and asked, "What the fuck just happened!?"


End file.
